Five Pakistanis deported from Sharjah for using fake UK visas

• Sharjah authorities detected forgery and deported suspects: FIA
• Adds fake visas obtained with help from human smuggling agents.
• All five suspects had earlier travelled to Malaysia on visit visas: FIA.
  

Five Pakistani nationals have been deported from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), after authorities discovered they were travelling on fake United Kingdom visas, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Saturday.

The deported passengers, who were trying to travel to the UK via Sharjah, were taken into custody immediately upon their arrival at Lahore Airport, according to an FIA spokesperson. All five individuals had earlier travelled from Lahore to Malaysia this year on visit visas.

The development comes a day after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced the launch of an artificial intelligence-based application as a pilot project to curb illegal immigration and clamp down on fake travel documents.

The FIA spokesperson said that the suspects attempted to travel from Sharjah to the United Kingdom using forged travel documents. The fake visas were allegedly obtained with the help of human smuggling agents, who facilitated the preparation of counterfeit documents.

Upon detection of the forged visas, Sharjah authorities deported the individuals back to Pakistan.

The detainees have been transferred to the FIA Anti-Human Smuggling Circle in Lahore, where a formal investigation is currently underway, the spokesperson added.

Earlier on Friday, Naqvi co-chaired a meeting with Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain, where the two reviewed “immigration reforms” aimed at facilitating citizens and improving the country's image at the international level.

Naqvi said the AI-based app would help authorities determine “who is fit to travel and who is not”. He said the measures were aimed at stopping illegal immigration and that zero tolerance would be adopted against fake visas and agent mafias.

Naqvi said the AI-based app would help authorities determine “who is fit to travel and who is not”. He said the measures were aimed at stopping illegal immigration and that zero tolerance would be adopted against fake visas and agent mafias.